The Resurrection That Saves
I Peter 3:18-22
“8 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit. 19 After being made alive, he went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits— 20 to those who were disobedient long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, 21 and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand—with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.”
Rebbecca Janney wrote in the World Vision magazine of meeting Bishop Paulus of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. He was in exile and had taken refuge in a seminary in New York where she attended. He spent 6 years in prison after the communist rebels overthrew Emperor Haile Selassie’s government. When he was released, he escaped to the United States. She said he was easily distinguishable on campus wearing a purple robe and Coptic-style hat, austere beard and bejeweled cross. But during the time before Easter, he wore so much black that even his cross was hid. He explained it was the custom for clergy in the Coptic church to dress totally in black during the time of lent.
When Easter morning dawned, she hurried across campus for a sunrise service. Suddenly she stopped in her tracks as a vision strode toward her from across the yard. As dazzling white figure neared, she realized this was the transfigured bishop. After seeing him in nothing but black for weeks. She gasped aloud at the change. He wore so much white that even his spats radiated the message of Jesus awesome victory over death.
The bishop’s face glowed as he lifted his voice above the stillness and proclaimed the ancient Easter greeting. "He is risen" Others answered him, "He is risen indeed"
The drama of the resurrection is portrayed in many ways, by music, by art, by color, by worship and even by dress. The message that Jesus is alive goes against all normal human understanding and points to the divine. It is central to the Christian message.
We have been looking at the book of 1 Peter these past weeks. Bible students point out this is one of the most difficult as well as controversial among some denominations, but since the resurrection is so important in this passage and since this was the next portion of Scripture in my sermon nuggets series, I decided it must be of God for it to fit. Peter points to Jesus as our example for being a suffering servant and at the end there is victory. That's the story! There is victory even in your suffering.
It was the will of a loving God that His Son suffers. It was God's will that He be buried and, praise God, it was the plan, even from the Old Testament, that He be raised to life again. All that happened was according to God's great design. The Death, Burial and Resurrection is the heart of the Christian message. That is the theme for this week's meditations. Pray God speaks to our heart again as we see His plan carried out.
